Organizing the web with microformats

HIDDEN MEANING

Microformats are simple HTML tags that reveal information about web data. We'll show you how to take advantage of this handy technology.

A recent concept called the semantic web is building new meaning into ordinary HTML text. Previous issues of Linux Magazine have discussed semantic web initiatives, such as the Simile Project. One of the simplest and most mature semantic web technologies is microformats. Microformats are simple HTML tags that reveal information about the meaning and context of web data. For instance, a microformat tag might specify that text is intended to be part of a resume or business card.

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Programs aren’t as smart as humans when it comes to interpreting the meaning of web information. If you want to maximize your search rank, you might want to dress up your HTML documents with microformats and microdata.

Microformats add generally accepted tags, such as social network connections or geodetic coordinates, to HTML pages. Automated scripts collect them and help represent the data in graphically appealing ways – for example, geodata for vacation destinations.